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Press Releases
Artur Rodzinski Anniversary, 27 November 2008
Fifty years after his death on November 27, 1958, Artur Rodzinski is remembered as one of the great conductors of the last century. Rodzinski’s uncompromising standards of music making are truly legendary, remembered by musicians who played under his direction, audience members who were privileged to hear his electrifying and expressive performances, and by listeners of his sizeable legacy of recordings. Rodzinski appeared in the 1947 feature film Carnegie Hall, with colleagues Fritz Reiner, Leopold Stokowski, Bruno Walter, Jascha Heifetz, Artur Rubinstein and Gregor Piatigorsky.
Artur Rodzinski was born in Split, the capital of Dalmatia on January 1, 1892. His family moved to Lvov, Poland, in 1897, and it was there that Artur began his musical studies even though he completed a law degree at the University of Vienna before dedicating his life exclusively to music. The young Rodzinski studied composition at the Conservatory with Josef Marx and Franz Schreker, orchestral conducting with Franz Schalk, and piano with Emil von Sauer, all among the great musicians of the 19th and 20th centuries. Rodzinski returned to Lvov to work as choral director and conductor at the Municipal Opera in 1920. He soon conducted at the Warsaw Opera and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Leopold Stokowski heard Rodzinski conduct Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Poland and invited him to become his assistant with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Between 1925 and 1929, Rodzinski was in charge of conducting the prestigious Curtis Institute’s opera and orchestral programs and led several productions of the Philadelphia Grand Opera. From 1929 to 1933, Rodzinski conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, garnering praise not only for his interpretations but for his innovative programming. From 1933 to 1943, he was Music Director and Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, developing that orchestra into a virtuoso ensemble that joined the ranks of the New York, Boston and Philadelphia Orchestras. He recorded a wide repertory for Columbia Records, and was a champion of contemporary European and American composers including Shostakovich, giving the American premiere of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in 1935. In 1936, Rodzinski became the first American to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, and did so as a naturalized American citizen.
While conducting in Austria in 1936 and 1937, Toscanini heard Rodzinski rehearse and was highly impressed by his techniques – a rare talent of its own. Toscanini asked Rodzinski to form the NBC Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra remembered to this day for its greatness.
In 1937, Rodzinski was invited to conduct the New York Philharmonic for two months; in 1943, he was appointed music director of the orchestra. The next four years, however, were marked by struggle with the powerful manager of the orchestra. The quality of the music was never an issue, but the hiring and firing and choices of repertory were grounds of contention. Not willing to compromise his musical integrity, he resigned in 1947. The renowned music critic and composer Virgil Thomson stated about Rodzinski’s tenure at the Philharmonic: “We now have an orchestra that is a joy to hear...and we owe it all to Artur Rodzinski." Rodzinski went directly to the Chicago Symphony, but faced similar programming problems there, leaving less than a year later. His musical profile was so prominent that his resignation was the subject of a cover story in TIME magazine in February, 1947. During the 1930s and 1940s, Rodzinski was one of the most prominent conductors in the world.
In 1948, the year that he was forced to leave Chicago, Rodzinski developed health problems and had to curtail his activities. For the next ten years, he guest conducted mainly in Europe, bringing many great Russian operas to Italy – works by Shostakovich, Mussorgsky and others (including a 1953 first performance of Prokofiev’s War and Peace at the Maggio Musicale in Florence). He recorded many works for Westminster Records and EMI that are still highly regarded. Just two weeks before his death, he returned to Chicago ten years after his legendary performances of Tristan and Isolde with Kirsten Flagstad to again conduct Tristan in three triumphant performances with the young Birgit Nilsson.
His final recordings were made for EMI the year of his death. Rodzinski had been warned by doctors that conducting was a serious threat to his health, but his love of music and conducting was too strong; Rodzinski died in a Boston hospital just before his 67th birthday. Rodzinski’s devotion to music far surpassed his concern for his own career. One example of this occurred in 1943 when Bruno Walter cancelled concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Most music directors would have conducted the concerts themselves, but Rodzinski decided to give a young musician by the name of Leonard Bernstein the opportunity to build a career.
In observance of the Rodzinski anniversary, WFMT Radio, the U.S.'s premier fine arts broadcaster, will produce a documentary that will include commentary by distinguished musicians who performed with Maestro Rodzinski as well as his late wife, Halina, and his son, Richard, President of the Van Cliburn Foundation. Included in this program will be recordings of his rehearsals and performances. Rodzinski's versatility and artistry will be heard in a wide selection of recordings that include orchestral music by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Richard Strauss, Albeniz, Schoenberg, Gershwin, Shostakovich, and Morton Gould, and operas by Mussorgsky and Wagner with legendary singers Boris Christoff, Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen. An unpublished and never-before-heard extract of Maestro Rodzinski rehearsing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will also be included, revealing his meticulous and intensely demanding attention to detail and precision.
Classic Record Collector's autumn edition carries a detailed essay on the career of Artur Rodzinski, with commentary on a more substantial selection from his 72 recordings as well as recollections from musicians and from his son.
These memorial anniversary celebrations of the life and art of Artur Rodzinski give listeners and readers the opportunity to experience a colorful personality, a deeply serious artist and a virtuoso conductor who was a fearsome and uncompromising perfectionist and yet was held in affection as well as great admiration by the musicians he directed.
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NOT FOR PUBLICATION: For additional information, please contact:
Nancy Shear Arts Services, Sheararts@nancyshear.com, 212/496-9418.
For photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/richardrodzinski/ArturRodzinskiFormalPortraits#.
Artur Rodzinski was born in Split, the capital of Dalmatia on January 1, 1892. His family moved to Lvov, Poland, in 1897, and it was there that Artur began his musical studies even though he completed a law degree at the University of Vienna before dedicating his life exclusively to music. The young Rodzinski studied composition at the Conservatory with Josef Marx and Franz Schreker, orchestral conducting with Franz Schalk, and piano with Emil von Sauer, all among the great musicians of the 19th and 20th centuries. Rodzinski returned to Lvov to work as choral director and conductor at the Municipal Opera in 1920. He soon conducted at the Warsaw Opera and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Leopold Stokowski heard Rodzinski conduct Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in Poland and invited him to become his assistant with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Between 1925 and 1929, Rodzinski was in charge of conducting the prestigious Curtis Institute’s opera and orchestral programs and led several productions of the Philadelphia Grand Opera. From 1929 to 1933, Rodzinski conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, garnering praise not only for his interpretations but for his innovative programming. From 1933 to 1943, he was Music Director and Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, developing that orchestra into a virtuoso ensemble that joined the ranks of the New York, Boston and Philadelphia Orchestras. He recorded a wide repertory for Columbia Records, and was a champion of contemporary European and American composers including Shostakovich, giving the American premiere of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in 1935. In 1936, Rodzinski became the first American to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, and did so as a naturalized American citizen.
While conducting in Austria in 1936 and 1937, Toscanini heard Rodzinski rehearse and was highly impressed by his techniques – a rare talent of its own. Toscanini asked Rodzinski to form the NBC Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra remembered to this day for its greatness.
In 1937, Rodzinski was invited to conduct the New York Philharmonic for two months; in 1943, he was appointed music director of the orchestra. The next four years, however, were marked by struggle with the powerful manager of the orchestra. The quality of the music was never an issue, but the hiring and firing and choices of repertory were grounds of contention. Not willing to compromise his musical integrity, he resigned in 1947. The renowned music critic and composer Virgil Thomson stated about Rodzinski’s tenure at the Philharmonic: “We now have an orchestra that is a joy to hear...and we owe it all to Artur Rodzinski." Rodzinski went directly to the Chicago Symphony, but faced similar programming problems there, leaving less than a year later. His musical profile was so prominent that his resignation was the subject of a cover story in TIME magazine in February, 1947. During the 1930s and 1940s, Rodzinski was one of the most prominent conductors in the world.
In 1948, the year that he was forced to leave Chicago, Rodzinski developed health problems and had to curtail his activities. For the next ten years, he guest conducted mainly in Europe, bringing many great Russian operas to Italy – works by Shostakovich, Mussorgsky and others (including a 1953 first performance of Prokofiev’s War and Peace at the Maggio Musicale in Florence). He recorded many works for Westminster Records and EMI that are still highly regarded. Just two weeks before his death, he returned to Chicago ten years after his legendary performances of Tristan and Isolde with Kirsten Flagstad to again conduct Tristan in three triumphant performances with the young Birgit Nilsson.
His final recordings were made for EMI the year of his death. Rodzinski had been warned by doctors that conducting was a serious threat to his health, but his love of music and conducting was too strong; Rodzinski died in a Boston hospital just before his 67th birthday. Rodzinski’s devotion to music far surpassed his concern for his own career. One example of this occurred in 1943 when Bruno Walter cancelled concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Most music directors would have conducted the concerts themselves, but Rodzinski decided to give a young musician by the name of Leonard Bernstein the opportunity to build a career.
In observance of the Rodzinski anniversary, WFMT Radio, the U.S.'s premier fine arts broadcaster, will produce a documentary that will include commentary by distinguished musicians who performed with Maestro Rodzinski as well as his late wife, Halina, and his son, Richard, President of the Van Cliburn Foundation. Included in this program will be recordings of his rehearsals and performances. Rodzinski's versatility and artistry will be heard in a wide selection of recordings that include orchestral music by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Richard Strauss, Albeniz, Schoenberg, Gershwin, Shostakovich, and Morton Gould, and operas by Mussorgsky and Wagner with legendary singers Boris Christoff, Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen. An unpublished and never-before-heard extract of Maestro Rodzinski rehearsing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will also be included, revealing his meticulous and intensely demanding attention to detail and precision.
Classic Record Collector's autumn edition carries a detailed essay on the career of Artur Rodzinski, with commentary on a more substantial selection from his 72 recordings as well as recollections from musicians and from his son.
These memorial anniversary celebrations of the life and art of Artur Rodzinski give listeners and readers the opportunity to experience a colorful personality, a deeply serious artist and a virtuoso conductor who was a fearsome and uncompromising perfectionist and yet was held in affection as well as great admiration by the musicians he directed.
-=-=-=-=- END -=-=-=-=-
NOT FOR PUBLICATION: For additional information, please contact:
Nancy Shear Arts Services, Sheararts@nancyshear.com, 212/496-9418.
For photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/richardrodzinski/ArturRodzinskiFormalPortraits#.
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